Locomotive stoker



Sept. 11, 1928.

D. F. CRAWFORD LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed Aug. 9, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l ZZ 110,71 (6? O fine/willfully?) #16 4, M

David/[Wm D. F. CRAWFORD LOCOMOTIVE STOKER Filed Aug 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 11, 1928.

Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

; UNITED STATES a v 1,683,960 PATENT osmos- DAVID E. CBAWFORIZOF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO LOCOMOTIVE STOKER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LOGOMOTIVE STOKE-R.

Application filed August 9, 1926. Serial No. 127,983.

The invention relates to stokers in which the fuel is delivered into the fire box through .the grate, and its object is to provide an improved means for directing and moving the fuel after it has been brought forward. from the tender to the locomotive through a cenv tral transfer conduit.

An embodiment of theinvention is hereinafter described and is illustrated in the ac-v companying drawings, in which,'-

Fig. 1 is a detail vertical longitudinal central sectionthrough the rearward portion of the locomotive and forward portion of the tender with the improved stoker applied thereto;

Fig.2 is a detail section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 someof the parts being omitted;

Fig. 3' is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4 is a detail plan section on the broken line H of Fig. 1; and p s Fig. 5 is adetail section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. y

The cab ofv the locomotive is indicated at 12 and its floor or deck at 13. The back head of the boiler is shown at 14 and is provided with the usual hand firing door opening 15. The grate is indicated at 16. .These parts are all of any desired and usual construction, except as they may be modified to accommodate the stoker mechanismz The fuel bin of the tender is represented at 17 and the floor thereof at 18. This floor is, as usual when the stokeris employed, apertured to permit the fuel to drop into the rear end of a conve orv conduit 19, which extends forwardly to t e locomotive and is suitably attached to or carried by the locomotive and tender to permit the necessary movements incident to the flexing or extension of the cou-.

pling mechanism of the two vehicles. Within the conduit 19 is housed a suitable fuel advancing device which may be of any preferred form, but is here shown as consisting of a plurality of pivoted blades, as 20, which are attached to a reciprocating bar 21 actuated as by means of link bars 22 suitably connected with a driving motor as 23.

As shown, the forward end 24 of the conduit 19 rests slidably upon a hopper.25, into which it deposits the fuel through an opening 26 in-its bottom wall. This hopper is suitably mounted upon and attached to the framing of the locomotive and from it lead laterally, downwardly inclined chutes 2728, each of ably connected to the piston rod 34 of the motor, the crank arm 33 being mounted on a transverse shaft 35 carrying crank arms 36-37, each of which is' connected as by a link 38 with one of the plungers. The link bars 22 are connected with the piston rod 3 1 through the medium of a cross bar 39 passing through the piston rod. Y I

Neither the particular form of the motor nor the arrangement of the connections between it and the driven elements are of the essence of the invention, and any suitable form of motor and connection may be employed.

As the fuel is urged forward by the plungers, as 32, it passes upwardly through the risers 29 and 30,.and by reason of the flaring form of the latter its tendency to drop back upon the reverse stroke of the plunger is checked.

The invention is adapted for use in connection with either the under-feed method of stoking a furnace, in which the fuel is delivered but slightly above the grate and its spreading is accomplished as by means of rocking grate bars, or the scatter-feed type of stoker in which the delivery is considerably above the level of the grate and the fuel is spread over the latter by some form of proj ecting and scattering means. The invention is shown in connection with the scatter-feed type of stoker, the riser conduits 29 and 30 extending upwardly to substantially the level of the bottom of the hand firing door opening 15. and a steam nipple 40 is shown asvmountforward end of the conduit 19, its outer or swinging end projecting backwardly. The

pivot 42 of this vane terminates below the deck 13, which is apertured to permit the insertion of a suitable wrench for swinging the vane. I

In the operation of the stoker fuel which is. brought forward by the transferring means, as 20, falls 'into the chutes 27 and 28, the

' relative amounts received by them being controlled by the dividing vane 41, descends into the cylindrical ends of the riser conduits 29 and 30 when the plungers as 32, are withto the hopper, a pair of chutes leading laterally and ownwardly from the hopper, means for regulating the proportional delivery of the fuel to said chutes, a-grate, a tubular conduit gradually increasing in cross-sectional area toward its upper end, receiving from? each chute and extending upwardly through the grate to a point above the normal level of the fire-bed thereon, and means for forcmg 'the fuel through each tubular con- I duit.

1 2. In a locomotive stoker in combination, a hopper adapted to be located centrally below the cab deck, means for deliverin fuel to the hopper, a pair of chutes leading aterally and downwardl from the hopper, a grate, a riser conduit receiving from each chute and extending upwardly through the grate .to a point above the normal level of the fire-bed thereon, means for forcing fuel through each riser conduit, and distributing jets' at the upper end of each riser conduit for scattering the fuel over the-fire as it emerges therefrom;

3. In a locomotive stoker in combination, a hopper adapted to be located centrally below the cab deck, means for deliverin fuel to the hopper, a pair of chutes leading aterally and downwardly from the hopper, an adjustable dividing vane above the hopper,

.a grate, a tubular conduit receivin from each chute and extending upwardly t rough the grate to a point above the normal level of the fire-bed thereon, and means for forcing the fuel through each tubular conduit.

4. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, a hopper adapted to be located centrally below the cab deck, means for delivering fuel to the hopper, a pair of chutes leading laterally and downwardly from the hopper,a cylinder receiving from each chute, a recipro-' cating plunger within each cylinder and movable across the, end of the chute, means for actuating the plungers, a grate, a riser conduit leadlng from each cylinder through the grate to a point above the normal level of the fire-bed thereon, and means for scattering the fuel issuing from each conduit.

5. In a locomotive stoker, in combination, a hopper adapted to'be located centrally below the cab deck, means for deliverin fuel to the hopper, a pair of chutes leading later ally and downwardly from the hopper, a grate, a tubular conduit receiving from each chute and extending upwardly through the 1grate to a point above the normal level ofthe e-bed thereon, means for forcing the fuel through each tubular conduit, and means for scattering the fuel as it issues from each conduit.

6. .In a locomotive stoker, in combination, a hopper adapted to be located centrally below the cab deck, means for delivering fuel. to the hopper, a pair of chutes leading laterally and downwardly from the hopper, a grate, a flaring riser conduit leadin from .each chute and extending upwardly t rough the grate to a point above the dormal level of the fire-bed thereon, means for forcing fuel through each riser, and means for scattering the fuel as it issues therefrom.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

, DAVID-F. CRAWFORD. 

